ISL Interpreted performance of Story of a Day
Galway is the City of the Tribes, and Galway International Arts Festival looks to embrace all its tribes, old and new. We always strive to provide a warm welcome and to deliver a positive Festival experience for all.
We are committed to being as accessible as possible and inclusive of all individuals irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community or socio-economic status.
See a version of our EDI plan. In the sections below, you can find out about our ticketing policy, venue access and accessibility services for those with additional access requirements. Should you have any questions, or if you have any specific requests, please email info@giaf.ie.
View an ISL interpreted video of our 2025 Accessibility initiatives above!
We have compiled a list of our Festival venues with detailed information on accessible entrance, seats, toilets and nearby accessible parking spots. You can find access information under each venue on the website. When on an event page, the venue listed is clickable and will take you to a separate page with further information.
Please let us know of any special needs or requirements at the time of booking. If you require spaces for mobility devices, such as a wheelchair or scooter, or spaces for a support person please advise the box office when booking. For most ticketed events, venues are fit to accommodate those using mobility devices. Please indicate your accessibility requirements in the comment box at the time of booking.
GIAF endeavours to ensure that all Festival venues are accessible, however a number of partner venues have restricted access including Monroe’s, Róisín Dubh, King’s Head and Galway Arts Centre (ground floor only).
Accessible seating is available in a convenient riser location with great stage sightlines at the Heineken Big Top. The elevated riser is for those using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. It is a non-smoking area, and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’d like accessible seating, you should inform the Box Office when booking your tickets so spaces can be reserved for you. There is no guarantee of available space on this riser without a prior reservation.
Concessions on selected shows are available for senior citizens (65 +), unwaged, persons in receipt of disability allowance, asylum seekers and refugees and full-time students with appropriate ID. Concession tickets are for theatre, dance and circus shows only and can be bought online or at the box office where available. Please note customers may be asked proof of status at venues.
Companions are entitled to a free ticket, please contact our Box Office to book this at boxoffice@giaf.ie or on 091 566577.
Guide dogs and assistance dogs are permitted to performances at each GIAF venue however some shows/concerts in Monroe’s live venue may not allow the accompaniment of guide and assistance dogs in the interest of the animals’ own safety. If you plan to attend with a guide dog or an assistance dog, please let us know by contacting the box office at: boxoffice@giaf.ie or on 091 566577.
An audio guide will be available at the Festival Gallery.
Sensory Backpacks are designed for adults and children who may find the festival environment overwhelming and who may have particular sensory needs. The backpacks contain ear defenders, a stress ball and fidget toys.
A number of sensory backpacks will be available at GIAF 2026, more details will be announced closer to the Festival.
GIAF is a proud member of the Sunflower Hidden Disabilities initiative. Some disabilities are not obvious to others which can make it harder for some people to believe that someone with a non-visible disability needs understanding and support. The Sunflower hidden disabilities initiative provides a tool which allows people to share that they have a hidden disability by wearing a sunflower in the form of a badge or a lanyard. If you wear one of those you can watch out for our venue managers who will be also wearing a sunflower tool and can provide support. For more information on the Sunflower Hidden Disabilities Initiative.
Galway International Arts Festival Accessibility Statement
This accessibility statement applies to content published on this website only www.GIAF.ie.
It does not apply to other content or websites published on any of its subdomains.
Statement of commitment
Galway Arts Festival CLG is committed to making this website accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability.
The pages on this website aim to meet Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
Work is ongoing to improve accessibility and address identified issues.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, due to the non-accessible content listed below.
Non-accessible content
Some content on this website is not fully accessible due to the following reasons:
- Colour and visual contrast:
- Certain text elements do not meet minimum contrast requirements, which may make them difficult to read for users with low vision. We are working to address identified issues.
- Certain text elements do not meet minimum contrast requirements, which may make them difficult to read for users with low vision. We are working to address identified issues.
- Images and non-text content:
- Some images are missing meaningful alternative text.
- Some information is provided only through images (pictures of text) without text equivalents.
- Embedded third-party content:
- Some content is embedded from third-party platforms such as social media or media players. Galway International Arts Festival does not have the ability to rectify accessibility issues contained within third-party iframes.
- Some content is embedded from third-party platforms such as social media or media players. Galway International Arts Festival does not have the ability to rectify accessibility issues contained within third-party iframes.
- Documents (PDFs): Some PDF documents may not be fully accessible.
- Video Content:
YouTube and Vimeo videos are embedded on this website using iframes. Some of these video components have known accessibility issues, including:- Keyboard accessibility limitations in the YouTube or Vimeo player.
- Some videos may not have captions (work is ongoing to add captions where possible).
- Videos on this website do not have audio description.
- Some video player components may not have sufficient colour contrast.
- Some videos may contain flashing or rapidly changing images.
- Motion: A small number of pages contain elements with motion that cannot be stopped paused or hidden (auto scrolling carousel and a short, looped video).
Galway International Arts Festival is working to address all identified issues where it is within out control.
If you encounter an accessibility issue not listed above, please contact at info@giaf.ie
Alternative access methods
If you encounter any difficulties accessing content on this website, you can request an alternative format or assistance by contacting us at info@giaf.ie. We will make every reasonable effort to provide accessible alternatives as quickly as possible.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
The statement is based on a review of a representative sample of web pages against WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria using a combination of manual and automated testing.
This statement was prepared on 2 December2025.
This statement was last reviewed on 2 December 2025.
Feedback and contact information
Galway International Arts Festival welcomes all feedback related to accessibility.
Please email us at info@giaf.ie if you;
- wish to provide feedback on accessibility;
- require information in an accessible format;
- wish to report an accessibility barrier; or
- wish to submit a complaint relating to accessibility.
We make every effort to respond to your email within 15 business days.